"The Rights of Women"

What arguments does Mary Wollstonecraft make on behalf of the rights of women? What contemporary trends in other aspects of 18th century life would have brought the condition of women into sharper focus as an essential topic of enlightened investigation and improvement? What might explain Wollstonecraft's relative failure to achieve her objectives in her own era? (p. 485)

Benedict de Spinoza

"The 'Natural Inferiority' of Women." What arguments does Spinoza use to support the idea of female inferiority? What was the basis of his claims and assumptions? How would you refute these arguments? What was the effect of his line of reasoning upon the roles women could play? (p. 463)